Chapter 2

The sound of grinding stone echoing through the tomb is all the warning that Serena and Stefana have before the spells expanding the space, and providing the illusion of life, snap as the tomb opens.

In a crumpled pile on the floor, the two of them look up at a Khajiit with grey fur and wearing skimpy dark armour.

Before Serena can say anything, Stefana says, “Mama, is that a cat man?”

Serena looks aghast, “Stefana, what have I told you about that sort of question?”

The Khajiit steps back, “This one is not a cat man. This one is a Khajiit, and female.”

Stefana scrambles to her feet, “Sorry mama, sorry Khajiit, but I’ve never met anyone else before you. Did you know you smell really nice.”

Serena gets to her feet, “Stefana! You do not say that sort of thing to mortals. I’m so sorry, I had to raise her on my own in there. Who sent you here?”

The Khajiit looks at them both curiously, “Who were you expecting?”

“I guess I was expecting someone like me, at least.”

“What do you mean ‘like you’?”

Stefana goes to speak, but Serena firmly says, “Stefana!” before looking back at the Khajiit, “Can’t you tell just from looking at me? A vampire.”

The Khajiit nods thoughtfully, “Why were you locked away like this?”

Serena looks warningly at Stefana, “That’s… complicated. And I’m not totally sure if we can trust you. But if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family’s home.”

As Stefana’s conjured clothing chooses that moment to expire, the Khajiit swallows whatever they were about to say. Instead, they curiously as, “What spell was that?”

Serena puts her hands on her hips, “That bit about trust… That applies to that too. Stefana, you know what to do.”

Stefana looks down, “Yes mama. But I didn’t have to before.”

“Yes you did, but I let you get away with not doing it. It’s more important now, because we’re going to be around people, and the sun. And you don’t want to get sunburned.”

The Khajiit looks impressed as a sphere of dark purple magic surrounds Stefana, and then she appears dressed in identical clothes to Serena’s. Making a decision, the Khajiit asks, “Where do you need to go?”

Serena nods, “My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do. By the way… My name is Serena, and this is my daughter Stefana. Good to meet you.”

The Khajiiti nods, “A’Krilla, and likewise. If you’re both vampires, do I need to watch my neck?”

Serena shakes her head, “Stefana has never tasted blood, and I don’t want her hunting until we’ve been home, and I’ve taught her how to not kill her prey.”

A’Krilla nods, “This one has been to many places around Solitude. Have map, will show you.”

As A’Krilla unfolds her map, Stefana looks at it curiously before glancing at Serena, “Can I feel the map please?”

A’Krilla carefully hands the map over, only for her tail to stiffen in surprise as the young woman does exactly that. She closes her eyes and runs her fingers over the parchment and ink. Squeezes it between her fingers, and even tastes it.

Eventually, the map is returned, and Serena is able to look at it.

“Much has changed since I was sealed away. Dawnstar was merely a village supporting an Imperial fort, and this college at Winterhold didn’t exist. Neither did this fort here. Northwatch keep. But that’s very close to where the jetty was.”

A’Krilla nods, “I’ve been there, so I know the safe roads to use until we get close.”

The sound of a splash catches both of their attention, and Serena sighs, “Stefana, what did you do!?”

When there’s no answer, she gets up and walks in the direction of the splash. Looking over the edge of the rocky island her prison was built on, Serena sighs before firing out a water walking spell at her struggling daughter.

As Stefana bobs to the surface, Serena calls down, “And what have we just learnt?”

Stefana looks up, “I can’t swim?”

Serena pinches her nose, “Close enough. Go and find somewhere to climb out.”

A’Krilla’s ears lay back on her head, “She is like a young child that has never seen the dangers of the world.”

Serena nods, “I raised her to the best of my ability, but there’s so much that you can only learn through experience.”

“What was that spell you used?”

Serena looks surprised, “What, water walking?”

A’Krilla nods, “Yes. This one would like to learn that spell.”

Serena’s eyes narrow, “Maybe once we know each other better…” She trails off as the sounds of spell fire and combat echo across the cavern.

The two of them spin around and start to run in the direction of the battle, a location that is easy to spot due to the massive Frost Atronach that’s fighting a gargoyle. Aside from that fight, the two of them can see Stefana running with a healing spell glowing brightly on one hand, and firing off the occasional ice spear behind her, as she plays keep away with a second gargoyle.

A'Krilla immediately ducks down behind a pillar and draws her bow while Serena runs in to help her daughter. Seconds later, the gargoyle chasing Stefana falls dead, with an arrow through its throat.

Moments later, the second gargoyle dies similarly.

As the Atronach comes to a standstill, Stefana runs over to A’Krilla.

“How did you do that? That was brilliant. I saw a door at the top of the hill over there.”

A’Krilla nods absently, before drawing another arrow and looking back towards the entrance. “The way this one came in is now blocked. That door is probably the way out.”

Stefana intelligently says, “Huh?” while she mentally parses the sentence, then looks in that direction. “You can see that from here? That is so brilliant. Mama, how does she do that?”

Serena shakes her head, “I have no idea, but maybe we should leave the theory until we’ve got out of this cave.”

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 Serena grabs hold of Stefana as the three of them carefully make their way through the large door on the other side of the cavern, with A’Krilla taking the lead.

Their progress is going smoothly, until they come across a large arena with the skeletal remains of the leader and some of their followers.

A’Krilla creeps forward until she can see over the lip of the platform they’ve walked out onto. Her keen eyes are easily able to pick out the supine forms of the inactive skeletons in the flickering light of the magical braziers that surround the pit.

Drawing her bow, she sights at the skeleton sitting on a throne and silently lets loose an arrow. Once the arrow hits home, she curses under her breath as the skeleton grabs the weapon beside it and stands up. When it looks around in confusion, A’Krilla lets out a sigh of relief.

The distinctive sound of conjuration behind her is shortly followed by all of the skeletons looking straight up at them.

A second arrow clatters to the floor near the lead skeleton, followed by Stefana complaining, “Damn it, why did it move?”

With their location now completely given away, A’Krilla swiftly puts her bow away, before starting to cast a spell she recently created at the Atronach Forge in the College of Winterhold.

Somewhat alarmingly, Stefana sees her conjuring something, and starts two different conjuration spells at the same time. As she’s doing that Serena starts throwing ice bolts down into the arena, towards the oncoming skeletons.

A’Krilla almost fumbles her spell when Stefana finishes summoning a Frost Atronach and a full suit of Daedric armour, a shield, and a dagger. Once she’s finished summoning the golden warrior, Staada, A’Krilla pulls out her own sword and joins the melee.

After a short and brutal battle, A’Krilla puts her hands on her hips as she turns to the two vampires, “What was that?”

Stefana shakes her head, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say anything.”

A’Krilla shakes her head, “You are young, so that is to be expected. I meant conjuring both an Atronach and that armour, or how your mother just kept shooting ice spears. I may only be a neophyte in the mages guild, but even I know that magicka doesn’t regenerate that fast, even for the masters.”

Serena shakes her head, “When I last walked free, there were rumours of a mages guild being set up to the south. But even then we knew what magicka was. Tell me, neophyte, what is magicka?”

A’Krilla sighs theatrically, “Magicka is the divine power that leaks through the sun and the stars from Atherius.”

Serena nods, “And what is another source of magicka?”

A’Krilla shakes her head, “I don’t know, soul gems?”

Serena tips her hand from side to side, “Close, souls themselves. Now I think that is enough for you to ponder until we get somewhere more hospitable.”

“But how do you get round the density paradox?”

Stefana jumps up and down excitedly, “Can I tell her?”

Serena shakes her head, “What have I told you about knowledge and power?”

Stefana sighs, “Knowledge is power, so never give away knowledge about yourself unless you want to give up power over yourself. But she seems nice, and I’ve never been able to talk to anyone else before.”

Serena pulls Stefana into a hug, “I know, and I wish I could have prepared you better. But we have an eternity to get it right.”

While the vampires are having a moment, A’Krilla carefully makes her way down the tiers towards the arena pit, just in case there’s any enemies that weren’t involved in the fight. As she gets closer to the throne, a faint murmuring becomes audible. Fatalistically, she looks up towards the noise, and spots the curved draconic word wall at the top of the arena.

Reluctantly, she changes direction and slowly ascends the stairs, drawn by the growing sounds of the wall. As she steps into the curve, one of the words starts to glow and the sound of the voices becomes so loud it almost drives her to her knees. Then the pick axe to the head feeling begins, as the full meaning of the word, and how it relates to the world, is forced into her head.

Vaguely, she’s aware of a popping sound behind her, and someone calling her name.

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 Stefana appears next to A’Krilla with a pop. Speaking almost too rapidly to be understood she says, “A’Krilla. A’Krilla! Please don’t be dying, you’re the first person I’ve ever met that isn’t mama.”

A’Krilla staggers slightly as the word wall finally lets go, only to be caught by Stefana.

“A’Krilla, are you alright? Say something please? Mama, mama, something’s wrong with A’Krilla.”

Stefana turns around and starts running back towards Serena.

As the last of the fuzziness from the wall fades, A’Krilla groans, “Little one, why are you carrying this one?”

“I thought you might be dying, as you were staring at those words and then collapsed. Mama, can you check A’Krilla is still alive please?”

Serena laughs, “Oh my little star, never change. Never change. A’Krilla is fine. Though I am curious why she was looking at a word wall.”

Stefana smiles brightly, and unceremoniously drops A’Krilla before turning around and skipping back to the wall.

A’Krilla turns over and rubs her tail as she stands up. In a voice loaded with resentment she says, “I’m dragonborn, and I have to save the world.”

Stefana stops mid skip, before running back towards Serena, “Mama, mama, you’ve got to help. You promised to show me the world, and we can’t do that if it’s destroyed.”

Serena looks down at her daughter’s pleading eyes, “Yes Stefana, I’ll help A’Krilla stop the world from being destroyed by dragons. But you have to remember, we have to stop grandpapa from destroying the world too.”

As A’Krilla’s ears perk forward, Stefana nods seriously, “Yes mama.”

Serena looks up at A’Krilla and spots the ears before shuffling her Elder Scroll around, “Forget I said that.”

A’Krilla hisses. “This one won’t forget that. This one likes living, and can only live if the world isn’t destroyed.”

Serena casts a spell, before nodding, “I cannot detect any other creatures with an Animus near here, so we should be good to go.”

“What about undead?”

“This spell detects those too.”

A’Krilla’s ears lay back as she frowns, “They are not alive though.”

Serena puts her hands on her hips, “A’Krilla, you are neither my daughter, nor my apprentice, and until one of those facts changes you will keep your questions about magic to yourself, or your guild.”

With that said, she starts to climb towards the large doors near the word wall, while calling, “Stefana, we’re leaving.”

Stefana comes running up while holding something, “Yes mama. Mama, is this a book?”

Serena looks down at the fungus filled mass that used to be a book, “Not anymore it isn’t. But it used to be. Now you should dispose of it properly, because the fungus that’s growing there can be deadly to mortals.”

Stefana nods, before dropping the book to the floor and shooting flames out of her hand until the book is only a pile of dust on the floor, “I’m going to dispose of the other books before they affect A’Krilla.”

Serena sighs as Stefana runs to one side of the room, before a plume of fire engulfs an ancient bookshelf.

Eventually, the three of them make their way to the exit, with Stefana running backwards and forwards as she investigates everything.

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 Stefana runs back into the cave and latches onto Serena. Sobbing she chokes out, “Mama, mama, it doesn’t end.”

Serena strokes her daughter’s hair, “What doesn’t end honey?”

Stefana points behind her, “The outside. I can’t feel the end of it.”

“I know honey, but that’s what the outside is. It’s the entire world and sky. Just like I showed you.”

“But mama, the end was always there. There’s no end up there!”

A’Krilla crouches down beside Stefana, “Stefana, this one owns a farm outside, she also has two adopted children that play outside. Would you like to meet them?”

Stefana nods, “Uh huh.”

“Then you will have to be very brave, and come outside with us.”

Serena hisses, “What are you doing?”

A’Krilla lays her ears back, “Giving both of you a chance to get used to the world again, before you do whatever you’re going to do.”

“Fine! But no tricks.”

A’Krilla shakes her head, “No tricks.”